World: Activists Push for More Doctors Per Child

By George Okore

NEW YORK--The current shortage of over 3.5 million doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers means that millions of children do not receive the health care they need, and risk an early death from preventable causes.

A new report titled ‘Save the Children; No Child Out Of Reach’ says the world cannot achieve the goal of saving 15 million children lives by 2015 unless a health worker with the right skills, equipment and support is within reach of every child.

The new report sets out the scale and the causes of the crisis, and recommendations for how it can be overcome. Progress will require political action at the global level, backed by strong national efforts in every country with a critical shortage of health workers.

Consequently, hundreds of people representing mothers, children and health workers will gather in Times Square, New York and together form a huge image bearing the message a Health Workers Save Lives. The demonstration on September 19 at noon coincides with United Nations General Assembly being attended by world leaders.

Ben Phillips - Campaign Mobilization Director at Save the Children International says the UN General Assembly will be a critical moment for catalyzing global political action on health workers. World leaders need to use the UN summit in New York make new, substantial and specific commitments to expand the number of health workers and better support those workers already in place.

Increased long-term investment is needed to recruit and train more health workers, with a balance across different cadres. At the same time better use of the existing workforce must be made by ensuring they are equitably deployed, receive a fair living wage, and are well supported, trained, equipped and motivated. Tackling the health worker crisis will also require governments and donors to spend more, and spend more smartly, focusing on areas that will have the greatest impact on children’s health.

Around the world, hundreds of organizations and millions of individuals have come together behind this urgent call to put a health worker within reach of every child. This report presents the evidence to back that call and makes the case for why the world  leaders must invest in health workers as the best way to achieve the goal of reducing child and maternal deaths.